I am here for you
by Empress24601
Summary: Percy disappears from camp and Sally is left in shock. But Paul is there to remind her that she is not alone this time.
1. Chapter 1

**A.N. Ok. I was looking around on here and I noticed a lot of people were writing about Sally's reaction to Percy's phone call from Alaska. Most of them were pretty good and I was going to do one too, but then I was thinking about it and I completely changed my mind because all of a sudden I started wondering about Paul's reaction. **

**This was originally meant to be a one-shot about the phone call itself, but then I wondered about his reaction to the whole disappearing problem, so voila. My brainchild.**

**Reviews mean the world to me **

**Disclaimer: Because yeah, Rick Riordan is totally a teenage girl living in the Southeast. **

"Mom! Where is that thingy?"

Paul suppressed a smile as he watched his wife sigh and roll her eyes at her son's question.

"Percy, you're going to have to be a little more descriptive."

"It was round and bronze and had all those design thingies on the outside."

When she didn't answer he sighed in exasperation.

"You know, Tyson made it for me last month. He brought it here, told you not to touch it…"

"Oh, that thing? It was under the couch last I saw."

Paul could hear his stepson's feet as they moved from his bedroom to the living-room, a moment later he heard a triumphant shout.

"Got it!"

Paul got up from his seat at the kitchen table and moved around next to Sally, where she was mixing cookie dough in preparation for Percy's departure for camp.

"You are a genius you know that?" He told her.

She scoffed, but he smiled, wiping flour from her cheek.

"I know three languages, and even I couldn't interpret that whole conversation."

"You haven't been living with him as long as I have." She answered back.

"True."

Percy burst into the kitchen, snagged a cookie off of the pan and ran back to his room, juggling it between hands in an attempt to cool it off.

"Percy!" She called after him, shaking her batter covered spoon at his retreating back.

Paul chuckled and pulled a lump of cookie dough out of the bowl, dodging the swat she aimed at him.

"I swear, both of you are just big babies. I ought to bring out ye old hickory switch."

Her face did not match her words though; she was smiling from ear-to-ear.

**Please, please, please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N. I know the other chapter wasn't sad and angsty, but I figured I would start out happy to show how they worked as a family.**

**Disclaimer: Still not RR**

"Bye Mom." Percy said as he hugged her in their front hall.

Annabeth was waiting for him outside; they would ride together to camp.

"Bye sweetheart, be safe ok?"

"Always." He quipped.

She gave him a stern look and shook a finger,

"I'm serious. If I hear you've snuck off to go on another quest I will personally hunt you down."

Percy gave Paul his signature look, the innocent child hiding the mischief underneath.

"Scary isn't she?" He stuck his hand out and Paul grasped it firmly.

"Percy, if you didn't tidy up your room I will clean it up myself." Sally added off to the side.

"Oh no!"

The teen rushed off and reappeared a moment later, brandishing a shiny fish sticker that Sally would give to the neighbor's children.

"I am sealing the capsule." He announced in a solemn voice.

"None shall enter."

He placed the sticker on the door, over the crack between the door and the doorframe.

"There!" He said triumphantly.

"Goodbye Percy!"

Sally said the words just as Annabeth honked the horn.

"Ok, geez."

With a quick peck on his mother's cheek he dashed down the front steps, chucked his duffle bag in the back of the car and climbed in the front seat.

Sally leaned contentedly against Paul as she watched her son drive away.

He was in the middle of a lecture about Medieval Anglo-Saxon history when the door to his classroom opened. Arthur Grange, the school principal, stuck his head in and gestured for him to come out into the hallway. With a hastily muttered excuse to his students, he obeyed.

"Mr. Blofis, we have received a call from your wife."

With a startled expression Paul fished his cell phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen. Fifteen missed calls, all from Sally.

"What did she say?" He asked the older man.

"She only told us that it was urgent and you needed to return home."

He was afraid now, so very afraid. Sally never called while he was at work, and she never told him he needed to come home.

"Do you mind?" He asked his boss.

Arthur shook his head, jowls flapping with the motion.

"Go right ahead, I will find someone to cover for you."

With hurried thanks, Paul left him standing there and went to collect his things.

It wasn't until he was in the car that panic really began to set in. Whatever had happened, it would be life threatening, and probably equipped with razor-sharp teeth.

Anything was possible with the world he had been mixed into. Sally wasn't answering her phone, after the eighth try he gave up and simply drove; trying to push thoughts of injury and death out of his mind.

The door to their apartment was locked, something that was not common, especially if Sally knew he would be coming home. With trembling hands he stuck the key in the lock and turned it, stepping inside as the door swung open. His eyes immediately traveled to the door of Percy's room, but there had been no change. It was shut, the sticker he had jokingly placed over the crack as a "security lock" was unbroken. The living-room was empty; no injured demi-god teen lay on the couch.

He dropped his briefcase and jacket on the floor in the front hall and practically ran to his and Sally's bedroom.

Nothing.

It was when he entered the kitchen that he saw her, curled up in the corner between the refrigerator and the cabinets.

His wife was still in the sweatpants and ratty t-shirt she wore to sleep in, not normal behavior. Her face was buried in her hands, but when she heard him kneel in front of her she looked up.

Fear was in her eyes, pure terror. Wet lines tracked down her face and her eyes were red from crying. Breaths came in short, shallow gasps, as if each one hurt.

"Baby?" He pulled her hands away from her face gently, "What's wrong?"

With a strangled sob, she threw her arms around his shoulders and buried her face in his neck. He sat there for a moment, just holding her, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

After a few minutes she pulled away, scrubbing at her face to try and erase the tears.

"Chiron IM'd this morning."

"The camp instructor?"

She nodded, "He said that…"

She paused for a moment and bit her lip; he could tell she was trying to keep from crying. Bless her; she was trying to be strong for him.

He pulled her close again and rubbed her back again, staying quiet, letting her know she was not alone now. After a few shaky breaths she continued.

"He said that this morning Percy didn't show up for breakfast, when they went to his cabin he was not there. He hadn't been there at all. He says he will keep me updated, but they can't find him anywhere"

He tried to wrap his mind around this information.

"Percy is… missing?"

She nodded against his chest and he felt his breath hitch. He'd heard stories from both Percy and Sally about his stepson's quests, heck; he'd seen the boy fight just last year in the Titan War. But any kind of disappearing act was a new source of worry, even for him, and he didn't know anything about the world Percy lived in. He just knew that everything had its limit; someday Percy would find that monster that he couldn't beat.

He did not want to be alive to see that day.

He didn't say any of this; it would only hurt Sally more. Instead he pulled away from her and looked thoughtful.

"Didn't Percy have a fight with a giant last summer?"

She nodded slowly, watching his face.

"Didn't he kill the thing, take Annabeth on a date to Paris and come back in one day?"

Again, she nodded,

"What about that story you told me about when he fought those two gods, Phobia and the other one. He won that fight didn't he?"

Her eyes bored into his, searching for hope.

"Percy is the most resourceful boy I know, I'm sure he will be fine. In a week, tops, you will get a phone call and he will tell you that he has been in like, Oklahoma or somewhere, and that he is on his way home. You just wait and see."

She graced him with a hesitant smile, and he returned it, though his heart was still heavy with dread.

"Thank you Paul," she whispered, "Thank you for being here for me."

With a small start, he realized that this was probably the first time that she had gone through a situation like this with anyone to help her.

It made him proud to be the one.


	3. Chapter 3

**A.N. If anybody is reading this, please review! Constructive criticism, suggestions, heck, even flames are welcome. **

**Disclaimer: Not rich and famous.**

_Three months later_

"I'm home." He called as he stepped through the door.

"We're in the kitchen." Two voices called out, Sally and Annabeth.

The poor girl had come over almost every day for the past month, in part to comfort Sally, and in part to receive comfort.

There had still been no news, they had even contacted the normal police. But there was no scrap of evidence leading to Percy's whereabouts.

He walked into the kitchen; the smell of dinner was in the air, some kind of pasta. He kissed his wife and gave Annabeth a reassuring hug.

"Anything?" He asked the question out of habit, he already knew the answer.

Both women shook their heads, he leaned across the table and clasped their hands.

"I'm sure he will turn up, he loves both of you too much. We will find him, I promise."

When they heard the confidence in his voice they both looked up, and he watched as new hope filtered into their eyes. He almost felt guilty, his own optimism was becoming tattered and threadbare with time. His own confidence was waning, but when he saw the pain in their eyes every morning, he became even more determined to keep their hopes up.

But Percy had better show up soon.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**

Sorry Guys, this isn't a chapter, just an author's note. I am so sorry for leaving ya'll up in the air for so long but I ran into a wall on this one. I don't want every chapter to be weepy Sally/Big man Paul. So can ya'll review, or PM me and tell me what could be a good setup for a chapter?

Thank you for hanging in there, I promise I will update soon.

-**Empress**


	5. Chapter 5

_Six months post-disappearance_

They fell into a kind of routine; a steady, reliable schedule that remained essentially the same day in and day out. They would get up, go to work, come home, go to bed, and count off another day. Paul watched Sally closely, there to comfort her when she either broke down or wanted to eat a half-gallon of ice cream. Which, oddly enough, usually happened at the same time.

The sticker on Percy's door was still there, a near constant reminder of the hole in their little family. The sharp spike of fear had subsided, only to be replaced by an ever present sense of dread. Every day he would come home, half afraid he would hear news of a violent death. A recurring nightmare for both of them was that He would show up mortally wounded and there would be nothing they could do.

He often woke in the middle of the night to quiet her as she sobbed after a vision of monsters and blood.

He was still new to this world of myth and legend, he only wished that someday he would be able to understand and handle things as well as she did.

It was a wonder she did not lose her mind.

It was a night like many others. They were both in the living room, he was grading papers, she was writing. The only things to be heard were the scratching of his pen, the click of her keyboard and the music from the upstairs neighbors. He looked at the mountain of red ink that had come from his ten-thirty English class. With a sigh he rubbed his hand over his face and stood,

"I'm getting ice cream. Do you want some?"

"Yeah, thank you." She set her laptop to the side and stretched her arms out above her head.

A few minutes he returned with two mugs, one vanilla and one moose tracks supreme. She took the chocolate overload route and cleared a place for him to sit next to her. For a while there was nothing but the clink of spoons against mug as they ate in silence.

"Do you miss him?"

For a moment what she said didn't register, when it did it was with a mixture of indignation, guilt, and grief.

"Of course I do. Why would you ask that?"

She shrugged, "Experience."

"What is that supposed to mean?" He asked through a mouthful of brain-freeze inducing sugar.

"Did I ever tell you about Percy's first year at his camp?"

He shook his head and kept quiet, it wasn't often she was willing to relate anything from when she was living with her first husband. He set his mug down on the ground and faced her.

"I hadn't told him about his father, his real father, except that he had been lost at sea." She put her own ice cream down and grasped his hands, holding on to them as if they were a lifeline.

"That was the summer he…Gabe. Was being particularly nasty, he'd been draining me of my paychecks, demanding more and more of me…and. Beating me, when I didn't obey fast enough."

Paul gritted his teeth, any reference to Gabe's abuse made him want to hunt the creep down and pulverize him.

""I took Percy to the beach, he'd just gotten home and I didn't want him to have to deal with Gabe. We weren't there forty-eight hours before his friend Grover showed up. I hadn't met Grover, but I wasn't surprised to see him. Percy is a powerful demi-god." She gave a small smile of pride at that.

"The very first monster he ever had to face was a minotaur. A minotaur Paul, do you have any idea what it takes to fight something like that?"

He pulled her into his lap and stroked her hair.

"You know I don't Sally. Was it like, the labyrinth, spool of string, Theseus kind of minotaur?"

"Yeah, it chased us all the way to the camp. I couldn't go in and Percy didn't want to leave me behind, I ended up getting caught by the monster."

She was quiet for a moment.

"I will never forget his face. I passed out but he looked so sad, so scared, so…young. I wasn't sure what happened after that, they said I was kept in the underworld."

"Wait," He pulled away, "You were kept in the underworld? Like the mythological hell? Hades, the furies, all that kind of stuff?"

She put a finger on his lips.

"Shhh…names have power. You can't just go spouting names like that."

"Okay."

"He spent a week crossing the country, fighting monsters, just to rescue me. The gods sent me home before him. When I got here, I found out Gabe had called the police on my baby. He had a nationwide man-hunt going for a twelve year-old, called him a terrorist."

She balled her fists, he could almost feel the rage radiating off of her. He wrapped his arms around her, trying to calm her down.

"I just…I just want my baby to be safe."

A tear slipped out of her eye, the ice cream apparently hadn't cheered her up. He held her face in between his hands.

"Sally Blofis. Percy is your son, but he is now almost as much my son as he is yours. I want Percy home and safe as much as you do. Of course I miss him, but I want you safe too. I want you to promise me that whatever happens you will stay with me, that you won't. That you won't lose yourself."

He couldn't continue, there was no way he could put all his fears in words. He didn't need to; she leaned in and kissed him.

"I promise."

She fell asleep in his lap; he sat up for most of the night. Holding her and thinking over everything she had told him, apparently Percy had been a strong child for longer than he thought.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**

**I was going to have the next chapter be the phone call, but this idea hit me and I thought it would be a good transition/filler.**

**I want to thank Purpleluv, Noir d'Encre, ReadWriteReview, and I Lost My Sock for reviewing, you guys are awesome and your CC and comments made my day!**

**-Empress**

Sally was at a meeting with her publisher; she was out of town and wouldn't be back for two days. He had ordered Chinese take-out and was now sitting on the couch, eating and watching old black and white movies. Trying to ignore the heavy silence that was pressing in just beyond the white noise of the TV.

It was the weekend; he had been industrious and had already graded everything that needed grading. Now he was kind of regretting it as his mind tuned out the corny dialogue and tinny soundtracks and instead focused on more depressing subjects.

He wondered how Sally's interview had gone, he thought about how he would need to talks some more to his students about plagiarism. But eventually his thoughts returned to his stepson. They always did.

He looked at the clock, it read 5:30. For a moment he stared listlessly around, looking for something to do. A gnawing sense of dread was bothering him; it had no root, no reason, it was just there.

The phone rang; he stood, crossed the room to the kitchen and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Blofis?" The voice was deep, a man's voice.

"Yes, this is he."

"I am police Chief O'Connor. I've called to talk to you about your stepson."

Paul gripped the edge of the counter.

"Did you find him? Is he ok? Have you heard from him?"

"No sir, we have not found him. There has been no indication of his whereabouts either. That was not what I was calling to talk to you about."

He did not wan to hear this right now, he hadn't had a good day and he did not want to hear about any extra paperwork or protocols that needed to be filled.

"What is it then?"

"Mr. Blofis, the New York police force has been on the search for your son for nearly seven months now. We are no longer able to expend resources on a case that has not turned up any leads. Your son's missing person's file is now being relocated to the status of a cold-case."

"What?!" He gripped the counter even harder, his knuckles turning white under the strain. They wouldn't just give up on his stepson. Not on Percy.

"The police force will no longer continue the search for your son…"

"You can't just quit!" He nearly yelled into the phone.

"Sir, I assure you that if any new leads turn up we will reopen the case, but for now it will be set aside."

"No! You can't do that!"

"Sir, we…"

"No! You don't understand, he has been in a similar situation before! He was taken by a terrorist cross-country when he was twelve. You have to keep looking for him!"

"Sir, we can no longer spend any more time on that particular case. We are very busy; I assure you that if anything comes up you will be notified immediately. I am sorry to inconvenience you, but that is the status of his case. Have a nice evening sir."

The line went dead.

"Hello? Hello?"

He slammed the phone against the receiver and it bounced off, rattling against the counter and falling to the floor.

Rage was pounding through his brain, making his blood boil and his breaths come fast and heavy. How could someone just give up on looking for a child like that? How could anyone give up on Percy?

He couldn't even see straight he was so angry. He braced himself against the counter and clenched his eyes shut; he had no idea what he was supposed to do now. Grief threatened to overwhelm him; he could feel his eyes prickling with the salty heat of tears.

He let them slide out from under his eyelids. He was glad for a moment that Sally was not here, she would be devastated by the news and he himself needed time to process the information.

With a yell he struck his fist against the wall. It sunk to his wrist in the dry-wall and he winced. The wanton destruction calmed him down somewhat, at least enough for him to think calmly.

If the mortal police would not keep up the search, he would need to turn to the immortals.

Five minutes later he stood at the kitchen sink, the hot water making a steam rainbow in the light of the naked light bulb from his desk lamp. He held a Girl Scout cookie sized coin that he had dug out of his wife's nightstand. He felt awkward and clumsy doing this, but he gave it a shot anyway.

"Oh Iris, accept this tip and let me see someone who is going to help me."

He threw the coin into the sink, expecting it to clatter uselessly to the bottom, but instead it disappeared into the mist.

He jumped away, "Holy cow! That actually worked!"

The mist rippled and a face appeared, it was not an attractive face. Warty, burned, misshapen, he hoped that this entity was benign. It would be awful to ask for help from the gods and get someone who had a personal vendetta against Percy.

"What do you want?" The man asked gruffly, adding in a mutter various curses against mortals and people who interrupted his work and people who were always asking for favors.

"It's about my son."

The man looked at him sharply.

"Who are you?"

"Paul Blofis, Percy Jackson is my stepson. He is missing and…"

"I know, mortal police are done looking for him, you are going to ask me to do something."

"That was the general idea." Paul admitted.

"Can't help you. Sorry." The god was gruff, but his face looked genuinely distressed.

"Please? I just need to know if he is okay." He could hear the desperation in his voice.

The god looked down, suddenly the mist rippled again and it was just water again. He pounded his fist against the edge of the sink, furious with himself, the police force, the gods, and life in general.

He fell asleep alone that night on the couch.

Crying unashamedly for his missing son.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**

**Yay! I got another chapter written! To be honest, I love the people who take the time to review and it is your fault that these past few chapters have come out faster. **

**As always, please review. I would love to hear how I can improve my writing. I am officially bribing anyone who reviews with internet cookies. I wish I could give certain people real cookie (*cough*, ILostMySock *cough*) But since it's the internet, internet cookies is the best I can do. Thank you SOO much for reading!**

**Disclaimer: I am not Rick Riordan.**

_Eight months and a few days post disappearance_

School was out for the summer, he had no more students to take care of for a while. Now he was spending time around the house doing odd jobs for Sally, accompanying her on her book signing trips, and generally trying to be useful and supportive.

They were just returning from a meeting that had been on the opposite side of the city, Sally had been trying to get a new book out with another company, the publisher had been vague and they weren't sure where she stood now. He opened the door with one hand and held her bag with the other, marveling at the weight of it.

"Oh it's so good to be home." Sally sighed as she shed her shoes and collapsed on the couch.

He laughed, "So I take it that tonight is more of a take-out night?" He asked her.

"Oh gash," she rubbed her face, "I don't think I could make anything worth eating. I'm so tired."

"Mexican, Chinese, or pizza?" He asked as he walked to the phone.

"Mexican," she called back, "Can you just order what I always get?"

"Sure," He looked down at the phone, three messages. Ignoring them he dialed the number to the little Mexican place they both loved. Nearly forty-five minutes later a gangly teenager showed up at the door with a couple of warm food boxes. He paid him and took the food to the kitchen, handing Sally hers on his way. He needed to check those messages, hopefully one was a confirmation from the job interview he'd had last week.

The first one was a Sally's regular publisher, asking her to call back so he could give her a report on recent book sale.

The second one was his old friend Marcus, asking to get together for lunch sometime.

He was putting a forkful of Mexican rice in his mouth when the machine moved to the third message.

"_Mom. Hey, I'm alive."_

He looked at Sally and they stared at each other for a few moments, frozen by the sound of an all too familiar voice.

"_Hera put me to sleep for a while…"_

Sally got up off the couch and walked to where Paul was standing, setting her food down and bracing herself against the counter.

"_and she took my memory, and…"_ There was a pause, as if he were thinking.

"_Anyway, I'm okay. I'm sorry. I'm on a quest… "_ Another pause, as if he'd realized what he had said. Paul looked over at his wife; silent tears were trailing down her face as she listened to a voice she had yearned to hear for months.

"_I'll make it home. I promise. Love you."_

There was a click as the receiver at the other end got hung up, a perky feminine voiced popped up from the machine. "To erase this message press seven; to save it, press nine."

Sally reached over and pressed nine.

Paul reached out and grabbed her, squeezing her to his chest. He could feel her shaking with a mixture of sobs and laughter.

"He's alive!" She managed to gasp out; she pulled away and looked up at him. "He's alive! And he is okay, and…" She paused, out of breath and words to say.

He wasn't quite sure to say himself, for so long there had been a cloud of gloom hanging over their heads, darkening every waking moment. Now it was if that cloud had lifted; it was not yet gone, but it was if it had shifted, lightened, changed shape.

He caught her up and swung her around the kitchen, laughing as they spun.

"He's alive!" She crowed, "He's okay and, oh my gods. He remembered me!"

A cloud passed across her brow a moment later. Paul saw it and set her down, waiting for her to explain.

"He is on a quest." She whispered, "He could get hurt. Or even killed!" Panic filled her eyes for just a moment but Paul caught her face in his hands and made her look at him.

"This is Percy we are talking about." He reminded her.

"The single most resourceful boy I have ever known. He just remembered to call his mother in the middle of a quest to tell her that he is still alive and he is okay after being missing for eight months. If you ask me, that is pretty amazing. He _called you_; he tried to explain his disappearing act to _you_. He clearly loves you and will do anything to make it home. And we will be sure to be here for him when he makes it back."

Her face split into a grin again and she kissed him.

"He is alive!" She whispered again, as if repeating the phrase would make it more believable.

They listened to the message nearly eighteen more times that nigh, never tiring of hearing Percy's voice as he tried to reassure and explain to his mother at the same time.

Later that night, as they lay in bed, Percy's words kept repeating in Paul's mind.

"_I'll make it home."_

"_I promise."_

"_Love you."_

The boy was amazing, there was no doubt. Paul tried his best to send telepathic thanks to his stepson for remembering them. His last thought as he drifted off into dreams were thankful prayers to whatever god or goddess had been gracious enough to let them have this bit of joy after all that heartache.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N**

**Okay, so I'm kind of nervous about this chapter. I haven't ever really written this way but I gave it a shot. Reviews are much appreciated, I would love to know what mistakes I have made in this chapter and can avoid in the future. Please tell me what you think; as I said before, I am a little nervous about this one.**

**Disclaimer: I am not Rick Riordan. **

He stepped into the apartment and heard rock music.

That was his first warning.

Sally did not usually listen to anything involving electric guitars and a heavy drumbeat. She tended to lean more towards Jim Croce, Bing Crosby, or other types of older musicians. Rock was her go-to music when she was angry or stressed.

He found her in the kitchen preparing dinner. A tray of rolls sat on top of the stove, except they weren't rolls, they looked a little more like charcoal rocks. He came up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, she stiffened under his touch.

"Hey sweetheart."

"Hi." She replied, her voice flat.

"How was your day?" He asked, trying to drag out the conversation.

"Fine, yours?"

"It was pretty good. Had a run-in with one of my students though, the boy will not stop plagiarizing! It has gotten to the point of being ridiculous; I found part of his last paper on Wikipedia. He had copy-pasted without even bothering to try and paraphrase anything!"

She slammed the bowl she was holding down on the counter and turned to face him, a hand on her hip and her eyes fiery.

"Maybe this boy is dealing with bigger things than an English paper, Paul! Did you ever think of that? Maybe he is living with a bad family, maybe he is dealing with having to support himself and a sibling, or maybe he is a demigod. I bet you never thought of that one."

"Sally," He held his hands out in a placating gesture, "not every troubled kid is a demi-god."

She advanced on him, raising her voice.

"Maybe this one is; they are more common than you think. Maybe this kid is fighting monsters every fifteen minutes, perhaps he is one of those kids who goes on a quest every other week. If you really, _really _took time to think about it, maybe he is on the verge of saving the world right now. So just…"

She turned away and ran her hands through her hair, sighing, then looked at him again.

"Just give the kid a break. Maybe something more is going on."

He reached over to the pan on the stove, intending to throw away the burnt rolls and wash the pan. Sally slammed her hand down on the pan, rattling it down to the counter again, her eyes were stormy.

"Leave it. I'll deal with it. Just go pick up your stuff; I hate it when you leave it all over the living room."

He walked out of the kitchen, his own temper rising in response to Sally's outburst. With a jerky movement he threw his briefcase on the floor by his desk, with a low growl he jerked off his tie and threw it on the bed. He changed out of his work clothes, still not understanding what had put Sally in such a bad mood. They ate dinner in near total silence, he volunteered to wash the dishes but she snapped at him to get out of the kitchen and leave her alone. He snapped back at her that she was welcome to be alone and that he was sorry he tried to help at all.

He stormed out into the living room and sat down at his desk, pulling out piles of papers to grade. After marking seven of them with red ink he reached the paper he had been trying to tell Sally about. A kid named Chris, he was new at Goode, and if Paul was anyone to judge, he wouldn't last long. He was much too skittish to fit into the circles at the high school. With a sigh he set the paper down and looked at the clock, it read 9:30. He didn't hear anything else form the kitchen so he went to go find Sally.

He found her in the bedroom, she had just gotten out of the shower and was towel drying her hair.

"Honey,"

"I don't want to talk." She said coldly.

"Why not?" He asked, "It has never been a problem to tell me things before."

She scowled at him, "I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand." She growled.

"What?! Someone like me? What is that supposed to mean? Am I suddenly not good enough for you, is that it? Do you need someone better?" He yelled, this was not normal, she always told him what was bothering her.

"Never mind! Just go away, leave me be." She lay down and pulled the covers up to her chin.

"Sally…"

"Goodnight Paul." She said firmly.

With a jerk he pulled his pillow off the bed and stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. He dropped his pillow and a blanket on the couch where they landed with a dull thud, but he was too agitated to sleep. Instead, he put on a light jacket and left the apartment, slamming that door as well.

It wasn't that dark out. New York was never dark. But it was definitely night, a different kind of crowd emerged on the streets at night. He walked with his head down and his hands shoved into his pockets, not really caring where he went, just so long as he was moving. He tried to remember if he had done anything he should apologize for, but it was not his fault she was mad. He could come up with no logical explanation for her anger.

He was in Central Park now, the streetlights showing faintly through the trees. He sat down on a bench and stared up at the sky, wishing he could see a star, even just one. He remembered the canopy of stars that had covered the night sky every night at his childhood hometown.

He clenched his hands inside his pockets, feeling the nails digging into his palms, fighting the irrational anger that swirled in his gut, making him nauseous. He took two deep breaths, trying to completely empty his mind of thought. Every time he got close though, an errant thought would intrude. Suggesting that maybe Sally didn't want him anymore, maybe she was regretting ever remarrying and tying herself down.

There was a noise behind him and he turned to see a girl running through the park. She was tall and heavyset, with brown hair tied under a red bandanna. She carried a weapon, Paul couldn't see what it was, but he had lived with Percy long enough to know when the mist was covering a weapon. The girl kept looking behind her as she ran, watching for something. He jumped to his feet and ran after her.

"Hey!" He yelled, she jerked to a stop and whirled on him.

Then she saw his face, "Mr. Blofis?"

He squinted in the darkness, "Clarisse?"

He had met the daughter of the war god one time when Percy had brought her to their apartment.

"What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?"

They both gave hesitant grins at the simultaneous question.

"It's a long story, I'm doing some scouting. Camp is in trouble. How is Mrs. Jackson?" She said simply.

"She's…fine." Realizations began to line up in his head, "Is there anything I can do? Do you need a place to stay?"

She shook her head, "Thanks Mr. Blofis, but no. I've got a monster on my heels and I have to get back tonight."

"Can I give you a ride?" He asked.

Again, she shook her head.

"I have faster transportation, thanks. You have a nice night."

She dashed off again into the darkness, leaving him bewildered.

He re-entered his home, more quietly than he had left it. Sally must have heard that there was trouble at the camp, which would explain why she was so on edge. He laid out his pillow on the couch; he would give her space tonight and talk about it in the morning.

Gently, he moved her laptop to the coffee table, then her pile of papers that were the bones of a new novel. One fell to the floor and he picked it up gently, unable to resist reading its contents.

_Mrs. Blofis,_

_It is my duty to inform you that for the past eight months your son, Percy Jackson, has been in a goddess-induced coma. Upon awakening he made his way to a Roman camp that is located in California, there he was sent on a quest to Alaska from where, we are informed, he contacted you to let you know that he was alive._

_A contingent of our own campers consisting of; Leo Valdez, Piper McLean, Annabeth Chase, Jason Grace, and a satyr by the name of Gleeson Hedge departed several weeks ago to make contact with this camp. Complications arose and the above named campers as well as two from the Roman camp and your son left California to complete another quest in an undisclosed location. Nico DiAngelo has also been reported missing and it is our suspicions that the others have, in part, set out to rescue him. _

_New intelligence was received a few days ago. The quest was a success, but it is our painful duty to inform you that your son, Percy Jackson, and Annabeth Chase have been taken captive. They have been pulled into Tartarus, from which Mr. DiAngelo has reported that it is unknown whether or not they will both return safely. The camp on Long Island is also under attack from hostile Roman forces at this time._

_It is advised that you do not attempt to make contact with either the camp or those on the quest._

_Hope you are well,_

_Dionysus, Camp Director _

_Chiron, Activities Director_

He felt his skin grow cold as the meaning of the letter sank in. His fingers shook visibly as he held the paper. All this time, Sally had been holding this in all day. He dropped his head in his hands and nearly tore his hair out with frustration. She had carried this terrible knowledge all day, it was no wonder she had been in such a foul mood.

With slow motions he made his way to their room and pushed the door open gently. It was completely dark, but he heard quiet sniffing from her side of the bed. He moved across the room and lay next to her. She stiffened as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him, her back was against his chest and he could feel her shuddering as she tried to hold in her tears.

"I am so sorry." He whispered in her ear, her hair smelled like flower petals as it tickled against his nose.

"Can you ever forgive a stupid, blind, _idiotic_, fool like me?" She didn't answer, but she relaxed in his arms and that was answer enough.

"You are right," He breathed in the darkness. "I don't understand, not completely. But I do know that a horrible thing has happened and that you need me. You need me to just be here for you, so I am going to make you a promise."

She had grown perfectly still, waiting for him to continue.

"I promise that whatever happens, I will be right by your side. I will not pester you with questions that you do not want to answer. I promise that I will always be here for you to talk to, to cry on, to laugh with, and if you need something to hit, I will put on my old hockey pads."

She chuckled slightly and he smiled in the darkness.

"Sally, I am _here_ for you." He whispered against her neck, "Please, don't ever forget that. And don't let me forget either. I will _always _be here for you."

She relaxed against him and they lay there in the darkness, one of his arms under her head, the other around her waist. Both of her hands clutched his, holding on for dear life.

Cradled flush against him, he was able to feel her heartbeat against his chest.

There was no better feeling in the world.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N**

**Kin of an of out-of-the norm post. Enjoy anyway and tell me how you like it! Thanks for reviewing, and liking, and following, and all that jazz. You are the best readers in the whole wide world!**

**-Empress**

**Somewhere in Tartarus**

Percy had pulled Annabeth close; she was tucked against his chest now, both of them zipped up in Percy's hoodie. Apparently hell really was divided into layers, and the bottom layer was freezing cold, just like that book written by the crazy Italian his teachers had forced him to read in freshman year.

Annabeth had fallen asleep against him; he could feel her heart pounding against his chest as she fought off the probing thoughts of thousands of dead monsters, even in her sleep. They were still too far down for the monsters to have gained back their physical bodies. He and Annabeth had to fend off their murderous psyches instead. Enduring the nightmare visions that were forced on them constantly was more exhausting than any battle he had ever fought. Because, each vision was specifically tailored to each demi-gods worst fears, and they got worse as the monsters learned more about the invading demi-god.

Annabeth whimpered in her sleep and squirmed against him.

"Percy!" She slurred, struggling as she fought her own mind.

"I'm right here babe," He croaked, his own voice rusty with fatigue and lack of water. "Everything's okay."

He continued to whisper soothing nonsense into her ear until she calmed down; he let his head drop to her shoulder and took a shuddering breath. He wasn't as strong as Annabeth, he was not able to fend off the all-pervasive evil that seeped into his consciousness. Sleep had become a frightening prospect now, but however much his mind denied the need for it, his body screamed at him to rest. He could feel the edges of his awareness blurring as he eased into the darkness of sleep; but as his eyes closed, he could but the more easily see the dream-like shapes of the monsters that were preparing to attack.

"_Mom! I'm home!" He yelled as he walked through the front door. The first time in over a year, he almost felt like falling to the floor and kissing the awful blue carpeting. There was no answer, he could hear his mother in the other room, but there was no welcome from her. No expression of joy to have her son back home. He looked down at his body, it was transparent._

"_Oh, Styx." He murmured. This was but another attack from the monsters that surrounded him. His mom backed into the living room, hands moving behind her to feel her way. Percy tried to draw his sword, dream or no dream, he was going to protect his mother. The next thing to emerge from the doorway shocked him more than anything else had in his entire life._

_Paul._

_The man's face was red with fury, obviously he and Sally had been fighting, but Percy could hear nothing. It was as if someone had hit the mute button on life. Sally said something that Percy couldn't hear and Paul exploded._

_With a sharp motion he slammed an end-table out of his way and backhanded Sally across the face. She fell, temporarily stunned, to the floor; where Paul continued to scream at her, pointing his finger, his face growing more contorted with rage with every word. Percy gave a yell and tried to move forward to defend his mother, but he couldn't move. Something was constricting him, binding his movements. Sally made a valiant attempt to stand, to get on a level with Paul._

_He simply shoved her down and gave a few kicks to keep her there._

_Percy could now taste blood where he had bitten through his cheek in anger. When he got home, he vowed, he would destroy Paul. His rage began to mess with his eyesight, everything doubled, reddened. He would kill, to protect his mother. _

_His mother yelled something, he still couldn't hear. But Paul's face went from red to white in a moment. He aimed a vicious kick at Sally's head and caught her under the jaw. She slammed backwards, her head hitting the coffee table. Leaving a small streak of blood as she crumpled in an unconscious heap to the floor._

_Paul turned and pointed at where Percy was watching._

_His face was murderous._

_His eyes were…Gabe's?_

Percy's eyes snapped open; Annabeth was wriggling against him inside the jacket.

"Percy! Percy, wake up! Don't let them get to you! It was only a dream! Please, Percy!"

He wrapped his arms around his girlfriend to let her know that he was awake, that he was alright. She quieted, but he could not say the same for his mind. The implanted anger remained, churning in his gut and making his palms sweaty with hate. He was more frightened now than he had been about falling into hell. Here he could protect what he loved, but he was nowhere near home.

**New York City:**

Sally shifted on the bed, murmuring Percy's name. Trapped in yet another nightmare.

Paul pulled her closer and squeezed her in a hug, kissing the back of her head. He wished, more than anything, that he could make her happy, that he could bring home her son.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: New Chapter! I am soooooooooo sorry it has taken so long! School, work, and family have all been really hectic lately. But yeah, anyway. Back to Paul/Sally format. I'm not sure what people thought of the last chapter, I only got one review on it (Thank you, by the way.)**

**Disclaimer: I am not RR. And this website is cruel to wannabe's**

He lugged groceries up the five flights of steps, mentally thinking that plastic bag carrying should become an Olympic sport. The bolt was turned on the door, Sally wasn't home yet.

He grinned, everything would work out perfectly.

With a few fumbling movements he opened the door and set the bags on the kitchen counter, rubbing the red lines left on his forearm by the plastic. Shrugging off his suit jacket he rolled up the sleeves of his button-down.

Little known fact about Sally Jackson-Blofis, she had an extreme weakness for home-cooked southern food. It was a happy coincidence that he himself was a native of the South, though he had moved north for work. With a swift motion, he unloosed his tie and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt before pouring oil into a pan and turning the knob on the stovetop. He had work to do.

An hour later, Sally finally walked in the door. He could see her from where he stood in the kitchen, watched as she lifted her nose in the air and inhaled. The smell of the food almost physically pulling her to where he stood, she opened her eyes.

"What is all this?" She asked.

"Fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, fried okra, collard greens, and biscuits." He said, gesturing to each item as he named them.

"Oh, and pecan pie."

She gaped a little, "You made all this? I didn't know you could cook."

He put his arms around her and pulled her closer, smiling at her.

"Not _all_ of it. The pie and the collard greens came from the store, but everything else, yeah."

She melted against him, resting her head against his chin. "And you did this for…"

"You, stupid." He said chuckling, lifting her chin with his forefinger.

She reached up on tiptoes to kiss him quickly before flitting over to the stove where she began checking out the food. Gingerly picking out bits to sample, he watched her silently, loving how she moved about, how she saw everything through rose-colored lenses.

Her shoulders dropped a little when she opened the pan to see the chicken sizzling in its oils.

"Percy loved fried chicken." She whispered.

He went back to cutting vegetables, "Loves. Percy _loves_ fried chicken. Don't think of him in past tense, honey."

"It's been two weeks since he called, Paul. _Two weeks_. Not only that, it's been two weeks in hell."

"Don't give up hope. Just because he isn't here doesn't mean he isn't anywhere. Like I said, give it time. He'll let you know he is ok."

"You always sound so sure." She commented.

"Of this, I am sure. Percy is a good kid, he wouldn't leave you hanging on purpose"

"I suppose so." She sighed, "But I'm hungry, let's eat."

He handed her a plate out of the cabinet and took one for himself, they were just sitting down at the kitchen table when they heard a loud tapping noise.

"What the heck?" He stood and checked the appliances, they were working fine.

The tapping resumed, sounding like it was coming from the direction of Percy's room. They followed it, he went to open the door but Sally stopped him. Gingerly she peeled of the shiny yellow sicker that had remained over the crack for so long, placing it carefully on the wall next to the door and gesturing for him to continue.

There was nothing in the room, but outside the window where streetlamps were just beginning to come on, he could see the outlines of two people.

"Oh my gods." Sally said running to the window and unfastening it. "Clarisse, what are you doing here?"

Paul wasn't sure how she had managed to recognize the other girl in the darkness but he didn't have tome to think on it. Clarisse was half-dragging another kid through the window.

"Get in here bird-brain." She hissed at the boy, he stood up straight and Clarisse pulled him out into the living room where Sally had already gone.

"Clarisse, I thought you said you had to get back to camp in a couple of days?" Paul asked.

"Yeah, well you know that 'ride' I told you I had? Bird-brain over there killed it, and…" She stopped mid-sentence, "Is that food?"

"Come here, honey." Sally called from the kitchen, "You too kiddo."

The boy followed Clarisse; he was African-american, tall and with a mop of curls on his head. He wore jeans and a button-down which suited him nicely, though it made him look like he was getting ready to teach somewhere.

"Listen, you don't understand…" he said to Clarisse, "There are forces in this world that you don't even know about…"

Clarisse cut him off halfway, pointing a fork at him. "Listen, punk. I know a heck of a lot more than you think I do. And I'm pretty sure it's you that doesn't understand, I'm dealing with downed warriors and things you can't even begin to imagine. While you make light shows with your little geek club."

"Geek club?!"

Sally interrupted, handing the boy a plate.

"Clarisse, who is this exactly?"

The boy shook himself, like he was coming out of a trance.

"I'm sorry ma'am," He stuck his hand out, "My name is Carter, Carter Kane."


	11. Chapter 11

"Nice to meet you Carter." Sally said as she handed him a fork.

"Thank you," He muttered, digging into the pile of macaroni and fried okra.

"So do you live around here?" Sally asked him, trying to draw out the conversation.

"In Brooklyn." He managed to say once he had swallowed.

Clarisse loaded up her plate again, nobody complained though, she probably needed it. She sat on the edge of the counter and shoveled another bite in her mouth, closing her eyes in pleasure.

"This is so good, Mrs. Jackson."

Sally smiled, "Thank you dear, but Paul made it." Clarisse gave him a thumbs up and he smiled at her before sitting down himself.

"So, Carter. Where are you from?" He asked.

The boy's forehead was creased in thought but he turned to Paul.'

"Los Angeles originally, but my…dad does a lot of work with archeology so I travel a lot."

"Really? I've always been interested in that. What field is he in?"

The boy swallowed, "Egyptology, specializing in ancient Egypt. Mostly death rituals and stuff."

Sally nodded, "What's his name sweetheart?"

"Os…Julius Kane."

"Oh, I know who that is." She said.

He smiled nervously, "I'm sure you do."

Clarisse piped up from her corner of the kitchen. "Ok kid, story time. You're a half-blood"

Carter balled his fists, "Don't call me that."

"Get over yourself." Clarisse snapped, "You have a dad so your mom's probably 'dead'." He glared at her as if daring her to continue. Clarisse gave him a once-over.

"By all that's possibly holy, I bet it's Aphrodite. You are a friggin' Aphrodite child." She glared up at the ceiling, "I asked for fighters, is that too hard?"

Paul could feel the tension escalating, but he wanted to see where this would go, something wasn't right here. It was like watching a car wreck, terrifying, yet fascinating at the same time.

"I don't know what you are talking about." The Carter boy growled. "Aphrodite is Greek."

"Duh." Clarisse didn't even blink twice.

"Look," Carter tried to explain, "I don't know what you are trying to pull here but I have to go. Someone like you wouldn't understand defeating giant chaos snakes, and saving the world."

Clarisse slid off the counter and moved in nearly nose-to-nose with Carter so quickly the boy went cross-eyed watching her.

"Listen punk, I eat chaos snakes for breakfast. On a regular basis. And I just lost three of my best friends in the course of a year, so I don't want to hear any more crap from you."

The boy reached into thin air and pulled out a baseball bat, at least it looked like a bat. Clarisse pulled out one of her own.

"I am the eye of Horus." Carter growled.

"Yeah? Well I hope you like the taste of Ares' bronze."

Paul's blood froze; he stepped between them as Sally cried out.

"Hey! No weapons in this apartment."

Carter gawked, "You can see them?"

"Of course I can. You wouldn't think I would be the mother of a demi-god if I couldn't."

Paul pushed against the two teens, spreading them apart. trying to keep them from killing each other.

"The eye of Horus?" Paul asked, his stomach churning.

"Demi-god, Jackson…" Carter clutched at his head as if her were in pain. Suddenly he looked up, "You wouldn't happen to know a Percy Jackson, would you?"

Sally gaped and Clarisse rolled her eyes.

"That's my son." Sally replied at the same time Clarisse blurted out, "Best friend."

"And he never said anything about me?"

"No, why?"

Carter rubbed his forehead, "We met last summer, Long Island crocodile fiasco."

Clarisse slammed an open palm on the counter.

"I thought he was joking." She glared at Carter.

"Horus is Egyptian." Paul said his voice flat as he tried to process this information. "The god of…war? Right?"

Carter nodded, everyone in the room stared at him in shock. Paul broke the silence.

"Clarisse, are you done with your scouting? Do you need a ride back to camp?"

They needed to get Carter away, this was a sticky mess, and it wasn't going to get any better. If history repeated itself things could get ugly.

"Yeah, I do. Do you mind?"

"Not at all, the car is in the garage. I'll drive you."

The teenage girl dumped her dishes in the sink, thanked Sally and walked out the door. Paul walked over to where Sally stood,

"I'll be back soon, sweetheart."

"But Paul, you can't take her there…"

"I know where it is, I'll drop her off at the border. You take care of Brooklyn boy, I'll be back tomorrow."

He kissed her and left, shutting the door behind himself.


End file.
